Feel The Love
by They Call Me A Number
Summary: In a kingdom too peaceful, the girls find another way to burn off some steam.


**AN** : Blame sapphicxena on tumblr for this beautiful beast. She knocked up my mind with the idea of combining Xena and the Lion King, specifically 'Can You Feel The Love Tonight,' and I had to other option but to create this and release it into the world. Dankscully edited our child (so blame her for grammar, lol). I hope you all enjoy this unholy creation while I go try to retrieve my childhood, which was ruined by having to listen to 'Can You Feel The Love Tonight' on repeat for the last two weeks while writing very graphic lesbian porn.

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own Xena.

* * *

They were...twitchy, to say the least.

Things had been peaceful. Way, way too peaceful. For weeks they had been traveling, looking for something that needed to be done, some village or villagers who needed their help. But there had been _nothing_. No warlord causing trouble, no corrupt king who needed to be scared straight- everywhere they looked, there were nothing but happy people and smiling faces.

It was strange. Good, of course- it'd been a long time since things were actually quiet, since they could walk through a town without their hands hovering over their weapons. Since they could sleep in the forests without fear of being attacked, since their services weren't needed. It was all courtesy of the king, of course. One who actually cared. He'd worked hard to eliminate poverty, build up a defense force to patrol the kingdom, and had actually routed out corruption when it'd first sprung up instead of waiting to see if it would go away. Decades of hard work, of actually putting tax money to good use. And that left them unnecessary.

But it also left them twitchy. Years of constantly being on guard- of at least one fight a day- had left them prepared for anything that came their way. Even after weeks of peaceful travel as they made their way through the kingdom, they still slept with one eye open, still walked the roads listening for any trace of danger- and yet nothing. On high guard with nothing to break it, expecting a fight that never came- it was almost a form of torture in and of itself.

One Xena had a plan to end. She'd been thinking about it since the night before, when she and Gabrielle had started bickering over some stupid little thing. She couldn't even remember what it'd been about- the best way to arrange the furs by the fire, perhaps? But whatever it'd been, it'd almost turned into a full blown fight- ending when she'd stormed off to go catch some fish, only returning when she'd killed enough to both fill their stomachs for days and burn off that excess energy thrumming through her. She'd heard Gabrielle practicing with her sais against a tree, and by the time she'd returned, Gabrielle had been pink in face and better in temperament. Though both knew it was temporary.

They were warriors, and they needed a fight. But without one, they just needed to improvise.

She waited to bring it up until they were settled in for the night, the two of them having stopped earlier than usual at a nice clearing. There were no good fish in the stream, but Gabrielle had cooked everything Xena had brought back the night before, leaving them with tons of leftovers to heat up on sticks over the fire. After they'd eaten, cleaned their spotless weapons, and made sure everything was settled and comfortable for the night, Xena brought up her idea.

Gabrielle perked up right away.

"A game?"

"Like tag," Xena continued, nodding as she started to remove her armor. Gabrielle was by her side soon after, helping her with some of the more complicated ties under her arms. "Only, when we catch each other, we spar. No weapons, nothing serious- just a little something to stop us from going stir crazy."

"It could be fun," Gabrielle said after a moment, lifting the heavier back piece from Xena's shoulders and placing it to the side. Her hands automatically took up their place on her shoulders and started on working out the knots that had taken up residency there as she spoke. "What would the rules be?"

"Arms and legs don't count," Xena sighed, her head lulling forward as Gabrielle's fingers melted away the stiffness, her body relaxing into the touch. "We'd switch whenever someone's able to land a hit to the torso. No setting traps, and no one gets hurt. Sound good?"

It took Gabrielle a couple of minutes to respond, her hands keeping up their continuous movements as they worked Xena's shoulders, kneading the muscles free of the soreness Xena always tended to carry around. For a while, Xena thought Gabrielle wouldn't go along with it- it'd been an idea, but just that. If Gabrielle wasn't up for it, then Xena was more than fine staying like this all night. And there was more than one way to scale a fish, so if Gabrielle had something else in mind to burn off some energy…

Xena moaned softly as Gabrielle pushed her hair out of the way, leaning down to trail soft kisses down her spine. She moved across her shoulders, then back up again to capture Xena's upturned lips into a kiss. Shifting so she was straddling Xena, Gabrielle smiled brightly at her as Xena's hands fell to her thighs, the tips of her fingers sliding under the edge of Gabrielle's red skirt. Leaning forward, Gabrielle kissed her one, twice, three more times…before abruptly slapping Xena's shoulder, using it to push herself to her feet and away. Xena was left momentarily confused and missing the sudden loss of Gabrielle's warmth and weight in her lap.

Smiling widely, her eyes holding an evil glint, Gabrielle uttered a quick "You're it" before darting into the woods, laughing as she ran.

Oh, she was going to _pay_ for that.

Pushing herself to her feet, Xena stood for a moment, her head tilted and her lips pursed, just listening. Gabrielle had gotten good over the years - almost rivaling Xena in many ways. In fact, there were probably very few who were her equal. But 'almost' was the key word, and within a few moments Xena had found her. She could pick out her near-silent passage as Gabrielle breezed through the forest. Smiling wickedly, Xena took off after her.

She was playing with her, and Gabrielle knew it. Despite having nearly mastered the art of stealth and silence, both of them knew that if Xena had wanted to, she would have caught Gabrielle in just a couple of minutes. But this was supposed to blow off steam for both of them, so Xena deliberately held back. She took the less direct route as she chased after Gabrielle, tracking her by sound as she ducked and wove through the thicker underbrush that lay parallel to the path Gabrielle had taken. She called out every once in a while, when it sounded like Gabrielle was getting too close- this drove her off in a different direction and giving her a moment to pull ahead before shifting her own course as well.

Back and forward they zigzagged until Xena could hear Gabrielle begin to lag, her breathing still even but hard as she began to slow. Creeping closer, Xena watched as Gabrielle glanced upwards- looking for a tree to climb, perhaps to try and throw Xena off her path. The smile on her face and the quick glance directly towards where Xena was crouching made it clear that Gabrielle knew exactly where she was, so she knew it was useless. Still, Gabrielle continued on as if she were alone, slowing to an almost walking pace.

A trick, Xena just knew it, but still. She had to.

Xena sped up, sliding free of the cover as she fell into Gabrielle's shadow, her footsteps silent as she stayed just a few feet behind. She was interested in what Gabrielle had planned, and wanted to see what she had in mind.

She wasn't disappointed. After a few moments Gabrielle leapt into the air, grabbing and twisting herself upwards onto a high branch before climbing even higher, topping the tree in seconds. Turning on the tips of her toes, Gabrielle flashed her a smug smile before launching herself forward, straight over Xena's head to a clear patch of dirt a hundred yards away. More than far enough away (especially with Xena having to struggle through the patch of bramble that surrounded said clearing) for Gabrielle to put a decent amount of space between them. Perhaps even enough to lose Xena.

If she had landed, Gabrielle would have taken the landing on her shoulder, rolling forward onto her feet so she could sprint away back the way they had come. _If_ she had landed.

Realizing what she was about to do, Xena had sprung. She caught Gabrielle in midair across her waist and pulling her back to the earth below. Twisting them so she took the brunt of the blow when they landed, Xena winced as her back hit the ground, the air knocked out of the two of them as dirt rose in a cloud around them.

They just laid there for a moment, both trying to catch their breaths, before Xena tapped her fingers on Gabrielle's back and side, smiling as she tried to squirm away from the tickling.

"You're it." A triumphant wheeze, but it still counted.

"Time out," Gabrielle said when she finally pushed herself to her feet, brushing dirt from her hands before offering them to Xena, pulling her up as well. "Do you hear that?"

Listening, it only took Xena a second to hear what Gabrielle was mentioning, nodding as she did. Glancing over, taking in the pink flush and the sweat that covered her, trailing clean lines through the new dirt covering Gabrielle now had, Xena nodded again, this time more decisively.

"Water break?" Xena asked.

"Water break."

The river's water was cool as they knelt beside it, cleaning off the dirt from their faces and hands. Xena stretched her back experimentally, wincing as it twinged ever so slightly- not bad, it would pass in a few moments. Still, perhaps a swim was in order. Stripping off her leathers and cloth under shift, Xena slid into the water and sighed as she relaxed, the coolness soothing the small bruise she could feel forming across her shoulders. It helped, cleaning the last of the dirt from her as well- not quite as good as a real bath, but good enough for now.

Glancing over, Xena smirked as she watched Gabrielle watch her, leaning back against a large rock on the river's edge as she stared at her through the clear water without a bit of shame. She'd pulled off her boots, her toes trailing through the water. Swimming over, Xena rested her head in Gabrielle's lap, sighing softly as Gabrielle's fingers began to run through her hair, gently massaging her wet scalp.

It was lovely. It was perfect. Until Xena, her arms wrapped around Gabrielle's waist, jerked back and pulled Gabrielle into the water with her.

And when Gabrielle came back up, gasping for air with betrayal in her eyes, Xena just shrugged and raised an eyebrow, cocking her head back towards where their camp had been.

"You deserved it."

That just earned her a face full of water as Gabrielle retaliated, beginning the war.

* * *

Joxer was not a smart man.

It had been a hard lesson to learn, one that had taken many years, but he had learned it eventually. But as Gabrielle had pointed out the last time they had seen each other, he was kind and brave and his heart was in the right place, so he could work with that. And he still had good ideas, he was sure of it. They just…didn't always work out the way he initially planned for them to.

For example, when he heard that Xena and Gabrielle were traveling this way, he just knew it was a great idea for him to try and catch up. The land was safe, yeah, but they could still travel together. Besides, it would be fun getting to catch up and talk about how life had been since they last saw each other. It'd been a long while, and if he was honest, he'd missed them.

So, when Joxer had spotted Argo nibbling at the leaves on a bush and realized he's finally found their camp, he had been excited. He'd found his friends- or, at least, found where they were staying. Seeing the burned down fire, the laid out furs, the sharpened weapons, part of Joxer figured he should just stay there and wait for them to return. He'd found a bush of berries earlier in the day, and he'd gotten a bit of sugar from the last town he'd been in. He could build up the fire, cook down the berries into a delicious dessert, and get himself set up for the night with the girls. They'd be back soon, he was sure of it, and then they could sit and talk and eat, just like the old times.

That's what he _should_ have done, but before he even realized he was doing it, him was dropping his stuff next to the girls' and going to find them. If they were out on an adventure he could join in, and who knew? Maybe it would be fun. And seeing as how they were out there unarmed, well… They might even need his help.

So that was what had led to him traipsing through the woods, tracking the recently placed trails he just knew were Xena and Gabrielle's. Considering they were coming from their camp, and he was sure he saw Gabrielle's footprint every now and then, Joxer knew he was on the right track.

But was it the right decision? Maybe not.

He had turned away the moment Xena had begun to strip, his face flushed bright. When they had just been drinking, he had been planning on joining them, surprising them with a visit. But when it turned to more…well, he knew he could come off as creep sometimes, and he respected them too much to cross that line.

So, his plan was to go back to the camp site and go with the first idea he'd had. Much more reasonable, and much more delicious overall.

At least, that was his plan until he noticed with a start that Ares had appeared by his shoulder, still looking back towards the river.

"You know," Ares said after a long moment, his gaze finally turning from the girls as laughter and the sound of splashing filled the air, "I have to wonder if you see what's happening. If your tiny little brain actually has any kind of clue."

"In general," Joxer responded, shrugging his shoulders, "no."

He knew he didn't, knew that most of the plans and the will of the gods went far over his head, but he was ok with that. So long as he had his friends and his sword, he was ok.

"But if you want to get a bit more specific, I might."

"With them," Ares clarified, jerking his head back towards Xena and Gabrielle, fulling turning so he was leaning against a tree, watching Joxer with a critical eye. "Xena and Gabrielle. Do you know?"

Joxer could only huff in annoyance at the god's mystic speech. He'd never been one for riddles, that was Gabrielle's turf, and so he just waited until Ares spoke again.

"They're in love, you idiot," Ares scoffed, speaking as if he was sharing the secrets of the world with Joxer. "Xena, Gabrielle, they're together. A couple."

"Oh, that," Joxer said, once again shrugging. "Was that supposed to be a secret?"

"You knew?"

"Well yeah. Half of Greece knows by this point." He said it so matter of factly, Ares was almost convinced Joxer was playing him. But when the man's face stayed its normal levels of open, the god had to accept that Joxer was telling the truth. Which honestly confused him.

"If you knew," Ares had to ask, "then why do you still hang around? I'm pretty sure they'd be happy if this weird little on-again-off-again trio you have going went permanently down to two."

His smile was taunting, and for a moment Joxer nearly listened.

"All this romantic atmosphere," he added with a sneer, "it's just asking for them to kick you to the curb."

Once again, Joxer was faced with a choice to make. Part of him couldn't help but feel like Ares was right. Ever since Xena and Gabrielle had officially begun courting (at least, ever since he realized they were), it'd felt like he was unnecessary. The third horse on a two yolk cart, if you would. Just hearing the gods' words made him a little angry with each that he spoke, and it would be _so_ easy. All he would have to do is stumble down there like a disaster brought in on the wind, wait until Xena was decent, and the magic that seemed to be everywhere would be broken. They'd be able to hang, just the three of them, without him having to worry.

But even as he thought this, the larger portion of his mind said this was very bad idea. Anything brought about by Ares was an awful idea, and all he wanted to do was break up the little lovefest going on.

A thought that almost seemed confirmed by Aphrodite appearing in a shower of sparkles, her pout at her brother clear as her arms crossed under her chest.

"Ares, you are so grody," Aphrodite grumbled as she fixed her brother with a stare. "Trying to break up my girls with their _friend_? That's a whole new low, even for you."

Ares smirked.

"Not that it'd work," she had to add with a chuckle, her hands going to her waist. "You can just feel it- tonight's a night of love, and J-boy over there can't stop it. Even you can't stop it. Which is why I decided to pop on in. You two need to go."

Clapping her hands together, she glanced back over towards the girls, beckoning Joxer to come a bit closer.

Xena and Gabrielle were just holding each other, still in the water, resisting the gentle pull of the river as they stood there. Their foreheads were pressed against each other's, and it looked as if they were talking, though whatever they were saying was too low for even a god to hear.

It was clear the evening had brought them some kind of peace, and Joxer was thankful the goddess had appeared before he had done something stupid.

"This isn't going to last forever," Aphrodite said, her own smile soft and proud as she took in the scene before her. "And when they leave, they're coming right this way. If you don't want to die, you'll leave. You've got about five minutes to clear out of here."

"Is camp safe?" Joxer's voice was almost panicked- he had learned the hard way not to interrupt Xena when she was doing something important, especially when that something she was doing was Gabrielle. Even Joxer was smart enough to keep his life and balls intact.

When Aphrodite nodded- they would get back to their camp in a few hours, if her guess was correct, and by then his presence would be welcomed- Joxer turned and left without another word.

Five minutes wasn't much, but he'd take as much distance as he could get.

"You're such a spoil sport, sis," Ares said with his own pout, shooting her an unimpressed glare when she just turned to smile at him. "You couldn't give me this? You would've of gotten your sex scene eventually- this kingdom's too calm for them to not get at it eventually. Watching Xena take a go at Joxer would have at least been fun to watch."

"You owe me, Ar," Aphrodite replied, a smug little smirk on her face. "You owe me a lot. This won't even begin to cover it, but get out of here and we'll start knocking some off your debt."

Looking like he wanted to argue, Ares instead just poofed away, leaving behind a slight smell of iron and blood in his wake.

"You owe me too, princess," Aphrodite said, looking back towards Xena and Gabrielle.

The pair were finally climbing out, Xena shaking off the water droplets before pulling her shift on, leaving her leathers hanging from a tree. Glancing down at her own soaked clothes, Gabrielle turned back towards Xena and beckoned her towards her, looking for all the world like the picture of innocence. Xena, yawning and half distracted, walked over, opening her arms as she did as if to pull Gabrielle into a hug.

Only to find herself splashing back into the river as Gabrielle placed a hand on her chest and pushed, yelling out "You're it!"

Gabrielle ran off laughing, right towards the clearing the boys had just been standing in. She was angled to pass through it and continue on the opposite way Joxer had gone, but it was a close miss.

Watching as Gabrielle neared, Aphrodite waved her hand and smiled as the wave of pink washed over everything, hitting first Gabrielle and, a moment later, a sputtering Xena as she dragged herself from the water. Her actions would change nothing, for what would happen would happen whether or not she got involved, but the grass would be a bit softer, the air a tad bit warmer, and the sunset that much more beautiful for the main event to come.

* * *

There was no messing around this time. Gabrielle had decided to play dirty, and if that was how she wanted this, that was how she was going to get it.

She was lucky though. The water and mud had pulled at Xena's legs, and even then, Xena had to admit that Gabrielle was quicker. The years of walking the earth had hardened her legs, and now that she was truly running, fleeing from her pursuer, she was slowly but steadily putting distance between them. It helped that the forest had turned into clear, hilly grasslands, at least for the moment, making no barriers that might have tripped Gabrielle up, sealing her fate.

Still, Xena gritted her teeth and dug in deep, adding the slightest bit of speed she could muster to try and gain some ground. She wanted to be sure that she wouldn't lose Gabrielle when they reached the trees on the other side of the clearing, where Gabrielle would be forced to slow down lest she run head first into a branch. There, her victory was almost assured. Gabrielle might be fast, but her reflexes were still a bit slow- good enough for battle, but against her?

Xena just had to corner her, and this game would be over.

Just like she predicted, Gabrielle slowed as she hit the tree line, jumping over a group of twisted bushes to land on her feet. She still ran, but more cautiously now, actually checking for things in her way instead of trusting her gut to save her. A mistake, one Xena was still trying to train out of her, but for the moment Xena was glad. Darting ahead, taking to the trees and jumping between the thick sturdy branches to get ahead of her, Xena dropped down before Gabrielle as she leapt over a fallen log. She smiled dangerously as her prey walked right into view.

Their battle was quick, Gabrielle knocking away Xena's first few attempted jabs- though those weren't real, but for play and sport. She had to give Gabrielle somewhat of a fighting chance, even if it was just a semblance of one. But even though it was quick it was impressive, Gabrielle twisting and turning and ducking at the very last moment, just out of reach every time Xena tried to snatch her. Deciding this needed to end, Xena glanced to her left-

-and saw the perfect end to this.

Letting out her war cry, startling Gabrielle into instinctively glancing behind her to see if there were any enemies, Xena leapt forward and managed to wrap one arm around Gabrielle's waist, once again pulling her close like she had earlier that day. Tilting to the side, Xena let her leg go limp, sending them both tumbling down the side of the hill they had been standing on, laughing and gasping as they rolled, finally coming to a stop on a soft patch of grass at the bottom.

Xena's laughter died away as she found herself lying on top of Gabrielle- her head on her shoulder, her waist between Gabrielle's legs; all she needed to do was shift up so she straddled Gabrielle instead and place her forearms on either side of Gabrielle, and Xena was set. She hovered above Gabrielle and glanced down at her as they both tried to catch their breath.

Her short hair was tousled and more of a mess then it normally was, her cheeks flushed from the exertion and excitement, her eyes shining as she smiled up at her- by the gods, Gabrielle was _beautiful_. A fact Xena had known for quite a long time, but still it managed to leave her feeling breathless long after she should have been able to breathe. Leaning to put her weight on one arm, her other hand moved and rested on Gabrielle's stomach, lightly stroking the divet between the well-defined muscles.

"Hey Gabrielle," Xena said, her voice low and playful. "You're-"

She didn't get to finish her statement as Gabrielle leaned upwards, pressing her lips to Xena's in a hard, needy kiss. She did let out a breathy moan a moment later as Gabrielle rolled her hips, one hand grabbing Xena's wrist and pushing it down so her fingers were at the waistline of her skirt, making it _very_ clear what she wanted.

Xena was happy to comply. But first…

Pushing herself upwards, Xena looked around, peering into the forest surrounding them. She had sensed eyes upon them while they were at the river, the unmistakable sense of gods reaching her during the water fight. They had disappeared after a few minutes, but still the strange twinge the world took on whenever one of the immortals were near had ever so slightly tainted the night. While the water had been up to her chest, and Gabrielle had still been clothed, she still hadn't been too pleased with being watched. And there was no way she was letting someone watch them now.

But the coast was clear. As far as she could tell, they were the only ones around for miles, the forest and grasslands that made up the nearby countryside empty of human life, immortal or otherwise. There'd be no interruptions, and no prying eyes that would need to be gouged to keep from seeing something they shouldn't.

Xena started as Gabrielle squirmed under her, her hands wrapping around her legs to hold her in place. Shifting down, Gabrielle came to rest when she was finally between Xena's knees, her head turning to place a kiss against Xena's inner thigh.

"I thought you wanted to go first," Xena teased, pulling her shift off over her head when Gabrielle made an impatient noise as her own hands tried to push it up, the movement awkward in their current position. Running her fingers through Gabrielle's hair, Xena looked down and smiled, shifting her legs slightly to better accommodate her love.

"You were taking too long," Gabrielle said with a little shrug, looking up to meet Xena's gaze. "Besides…"

Turning her head, Gabrielle licked her way up Xena's thigh, smirking as she groaned and squirmed as Gabrielle pulled away just before reaching her cleft.

"I want you."

Adjusting her hold on Xena's thighs, Gabrielle tugged her down so she was right over her, and Xena gasped as Gabrielle's lips met her clit.

Xena's hand in Gabrielle's hair shifted into a true grip as her hips rocked, grinding down as Gabrielle sucked, her tongue circling and pressing on her clit between each pull.

She kept her movements steady and even, her grip on Xena's thighs tight and commanding- enough to keep Xena from moving too far from Gabrielle's mouth, enough to keep her still. Though it was clear from the twitching muscle under her fingers that she wanted to rock, to grind down further and pull away from her teasing tongue at the same time. Instead Xena just leaned forward, one hand still gripping Gabrielle's hair while the other dug into the grass, steadying herself. Glancing down, Xena's smile widened as their eyes met, her gaze full of love and trust as she let herself be taken.

Gabrielle almost felt guilty. Almost.

Xena moaned as Gabrielle's tongue moved from her clit to her slit, lightly teasing her entrance with quick licks that just barely touched her, teased her, encouraging the wetness Xena could feel gathering between her lips. Her hands shifting Xena's knees further apart, Gabrielle slid her tongue deep into Xena, curling the tip to trace against her front wall, pressing and tracing where Xena needed her to be. One hand moving from Xena's thigh to rub at her clit, Gabrielle slowed- her tongue and fingers gentle and soft, even though everything about Xena made it clear she wanted more, wanted something hard and fast that would send her over the edge soon.

But as Xena should have realized by now, Gabrielle played dirty.

" _Gabrielle_."

Xena's voice was a cracked whine as Gabrielle pulled away, returning to her previous task of sucking dark marks into Xena's now trembling thighs, her hand returning to its previous hold on her. For a long, horrible moment Gabrielle ignored her, nipping a line of light red between the purple she had painted Xena's thigh with before finally looking up, her shining mouth twisted into a smirk.

"Weren't we playing a game?"

At that one little sentence Xena froze, her face blank as she stared down at what of Gabrielle she could see between her thighs, trying to gauge whether or not this was real. When Gabrielle's gaze never wavered, when she just winked to make it clear that yes, she did expect an answer, Xena just growled and shook her head, throwing the hair that had been covering her breasts over her shoulder before glaring.

"You wi-"

Her growled response was cut off as Gabrielle _bit_ , sinking her teeth into Xena's thigh- a claiming mark that would last longer than the others, that would sting ever so slightly for the next few days and remind Xena _who's_ she was. Then she raised her head and turning Xena's pained gasp into a moan as she once again got to work, her tongue thrusting hard into Xena, her fingers quick against her clit. The sudden shift from nothing to everything sending Xena quickly to that edge as her hips rocked. Her body hunched over, everything within her tight and ready as her one hand scrambled at the grass, the other maintaining its almost painful grasp in Gabrielle's hair as she pulled her closer. She urged her on with every moan and pant and whispered plea for Gabrielle to keep going because she was close so close so _so_ close.

She broke. Xena shuddered and cried out as she came, almost painfully still as she reached that crest and fell.

Xena let out a shaky laugh as she finally came down from her high, the painfully tight grip she had on Gabrielle's hair turning into a gentle caress, untangling a few of the knots that had formed during their swim. Shifting her weight, she bonelessly slid from on top of Gabrielle, one arm pressing against her eyes as she reminded herself how to breathe, the other held open in a welcome invitation. An invitation Gabrielle happily took, curling into Xena's side, her head resting on her chest, a proud smirk on her still glistening lips. Lips that, after a few moments, when she could form a coherent thought, Xena leaned over to kiss, her tongue darting out to lick at Gabrielle's chin, moaning at the taste. The kiss was lazy, messy, both women just enjoying the feel of each other against them.

Soon, though, it became impatient as Xena plucked at Gabrielle's top, her eyebrow raising as she pulled away.

"You're wearing too much."

A laugh, because even by Aphrodite's standard, Gabrielle already wore very little on a day to day basis, the red coverings just enough to make her decent. But who was Gabrielle to disagree when Xena was looking at her like that? When Xena had once again moved to straddle her? When Xena's hands were warm and heavy on her chest, her cunt leaving a wet spread on her stomach, reminding Gabrielle of her own ache between her legs? Who was Gabrielle to argue with her love, when she had that look in her eye that promised much if she obeyed?

Instead Gabrielle arched her back, and Xena complied, one hand reaching around and quickly undoing the ties that kept her shirt closed. Pulling out the lacing, the top slipping free from Gabrielle's shoulders, down her arm, landing somewhere off near Xena's shift. Xena's hands quickly moved down, giving Gabrielle's skirt a similar treatment. It took a moment of shuffling, rearranging so the cloth was far enough down Gabrielle's leg that she could kick it off, but soon she was bare as well, her skin flush with excitement and anticipation.

For a moment Xena considered denying her, payback for her dirty tricks earlier, but she _wanted her_ far too much. So, instead Xena's mouth found her pulse- sucking a dark bruise right where it would be hardest to hide. Her hand slid down, ghosting over Gabrielle's breasts, her stomach, momentarily stopping to run through and gently tug on Gabrielle's curls before finishing between her thighs. She teased her, just for a moment, running her nails ever so lightly over Gabrielle's sweat and cum dampened thighs. Enough to get a pleading noise drawn from her, Gabrielle's hands tangled themselves in Xena's hair. Demanding, begging, her hips rolling as Gabrielle pulled her away from her neck and into a hard, needy kiss that turned into as gasp as Xena finally began.

She started slowly, enjoying the feeling of Gabrielle under her, her fingers running through the slick at Gabrielle's entrance without entering her, moving up to circle Gabrielle's clit without fully touching it. Even if she wasn't going to deny Gabrielle's her climax, she was still going to draw it out. Xena knew she had a control kink, a holdover from her warlord days that Gabrielle had pointed out many times, but the gods damn them if they both didn't benefit from it.

For a short while she continued this, distracting Gabrielle from the long moments without release by riling her up even more. Her mouth moved from lips to neck to breast, sucking and kissing and licking, relishing in the taste of salt and the semi-dried remains of the clean river. Dipping her fingers into Gabrielle just enough to wet them, she brought her hand back up, using her fingers to circle her nipple. She immediately blew on the patch of damp skin until it was hard and erect, almost painfully so. A strange pain she soothed with her tongue, replaced with her teeth, leaving a light red bite mark that had Gabrielle both jerking away and pressing forward. Half of her trying to escape the sting while the other half rocked, showing just how much she wanted more.

On and on this continued until Gabrielle's leg finally wrapped around Xena's waist, pulling her flush against her, trapping her hand between Gabrielle's thighs, right where she wanted it.

"Enough, Xena," Gabrielle panted.

Her pupils were blown, her voice was shaking, everything about her screamed need and desire, an almost desperate want for release. The heel of her foot digging into Xena's hip, Gabrielle used her hold in Xena's hair to pull her away from her breast, whispering her demand into her ear before tugging her into a hard, demanding kiss.

"Just _fuck me_ _already_."

The kiss turned into a gasping moan as Xena complied, her fingers sliding into Gabrielle as her thumb pressed at her clit. She curled her fingers upwards, finding and pressing on the spot that had Gabrielle gasping. Already a small shudder ran through her, her body so ready to finish what had technically just begun. Stilling her hand, placing feather-light kisses across Gabrielle's forehead, her cheeks, at the tip of her nose as Gabrielle calmed, Xena's free hand reached up to cup Gabrielle's cheek, her thumb brushing away a strand of hair that had stuck to her skin.

For a long moment Xena just stayed like that, staring down at Gabrielle- her eyes closed, her lips ever so lightly parted, the blush that had crawled down to her chest, leaving much of her a delicious pink. Kissing Gabrielle right by her ear, Xena gave a whispered reply-

"Love you."

\- before thrusting, her hand setting an almost punishing pace that Gabrielle matched with each jerk of her hips, the grip in her hair turning into a desperate scramble across her back and shoulders as Gabrielle tried to find some purchase to ground herself with. No doubt she would leave marks that would sting later but that Xena found herself arching into now. A pace that had them pushing against each other, her fingers curled, her thumb circling Gabrielle's clit, Gabrielle's other foot hooking over Xena's hip and back to gain a better angle, every move bringing her higher and higher and higher, her muscles tightening and steeling themselves for her to break apart into a dozen pieces that would accompany her fall, neither able to think of anything else but the next move the next thrust the next kiss-

Xena kissed her hard, smirking as Gabrielle shuddered under her, her cunt throbbing around her still rocking hand as she finally came, her entire being tensing for a long moment before, bit by bit she finally relaxed back into the grass. Her hands uncurled from where they had clawed at her shoulder, instead sliding around her neck as Gabrielle lazily, sleepily, returned the kiss, turning the almost possessive movement into a loving one. She moaned softly as Xena pulled her fingers from her, and watched through lidded eyes as Xena pulled away and cleaned her hand with her tongue, leaving the fingers that finally settled on Gabrielle's stomach warm and wet with saliva instead.

Shifting her weight off to the side, Xena curled around Gabrielle and gentle nudged her onto her side, pulling her close so her back was pressed against Xena's front. One arm moved up for both of them to use as a pillow as she nuzzled into the back of Gabrielle's neck, sighing contentedly as Gabrielle shifted closer.

It was getting dark, and soon they would have to return to their camp. Despite how comfortable the grass was, despite their desire to just lay there and sleep, they had warm furs waiting for them back by Argo. But, for the moment, Xena was content for them to just continue to lay there, for her to keep pressing gentle kisses against Gabrielle's spine. They would move, eventually, just not right now.

Especially as, after a few minutes, Gabrielle turned in her arms, catching her once again in a kiss as one hand reached down to press between her thighs, silently asking for permission Xena happily gave.

* * *

Aphrodite's guess would be off, because they wouldn't find their way back to their camp until the next morning, after they'd found their clothes and retrieved Xena's leathers from the riverside. And while they were surprised to see Joxer, neither of them questioned the cooked berries he handed them for breakfast. And if he had any questions about the mark on Gabrielle's neck and the raised red lines just visible over the collar of Xena's leathers, he didn't ask about them. All he made mention of was how relaxed they were, and promptly ignored the meaning behind their shared smirks. Ignored it and accepted when they said it was because the kingdom was just so peaceful.

Because that was the smart thing for him to do.


End file.
